Improvement in yarn-tension devices for knitting-machines



NEPTERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRF WASHINGTON D C 'NITED TATE S neuen.

JOHN RANDELL, OF GHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT [N YARN-TENSION DEVICES FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 95,200, dated September 2S, 1.869.

4description thereof', reference: being had to the accompanying drawings,making apart of this specification, and to the letters and gures of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of said take-up in connection with a spoolof yarn, 85e., and set upon a slanting base at about the angle which the take-up occupies upon a knittingmachine. Fig. 2 is an axial sectional View, the plane of vertical sectionbeing indicated by the line .fr .fr in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the line y y in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view of the beak and theloop thereto attached. Fig. 5 shows the application of said take-up to a knitting-machine of the class known as straight machines, in distinction from the circular-knitting machines, in which latter class no take-up similar to my invention is ordinarily required, the draft upon the yarn being nearly continuous and uniform in direction.

By reference to Fig. 5, which represents a Lamb family knitting-machine, the take-up will be seen rigidly fastened to the middle of the rear side of the carriage, which has a reciprocating rectilinear motion, and thus operates the knitting-needles in the bed beneath. The yarn-stand is stationary; but that end of the yarn which is to be fed into the needles is carried along with the vibrating. carriage, and moves back and forth over the entire row of needles.

If all the needles are in use, butlittle slack of the yarn will occur in any part of the traverse of the carriage and the yarn 5 but if only a'portion of the middle needles are in use,the yarn will still be drawn out the whole length of the needle-bed when the carriage moves `one way, and then when it moves back there Vyarn is of great importance in a knittingmachine, it becomes necessary to apply some device to all straight-knitting, machines of the class described which shall take up all slack yarn, andA at the same time allow a uniform tension constantly upon the thread of yarn which isv passing through it.

Numerous takin g-up devices have been applied, and I do not claim to be the inventor of the application of a taking-up device, but claim the construction of the invention set forth, as hereinafter described and limited.

The same take-up'may be applied, with immaterial modifications, to other knitting and -in one piece, and is fbolted to the'carriage of the knitting-machine by means of a flanged base cast upon c. The part b extends forward, so as to project over the ends of the needles beneath, and is denominated the beak.77 At the outer end of the beak is a loop, L, which may be made of Wire, or may be cast as a part of the beak, and it is essential that the angle l of the loop through which the yarn is drawn should be of such an inclination that the yarn may be drawn up into it, and thus seized and prevented from drawing out farther when any slack yarn is already out. It' the loop L is cast as a part of the beak, the angle Z will probably have to be dressed with a file to give it the proper sharpness to gripe the yarn at the proper time. A piece of small steel wire, T, having a round loop, t, at its outer end, and having its other end formed into a spiral spring, C, acts as a tension-spring, and, together with the angular loop L in the beak, performs the work of taking up the slack yarn. To support the tension-spring T and regulate its draft upon the yarn, I construct a small cylinder, A, at the end of d, having one end open, and the screw S entering through a hole in the opposite end. Within this cylinder is inserted the round mandrel B, having a milled head, which completely covers the open end of the cylinder A. A screw-thread is tapped in the other end of B, with which the screw S engages, and by turning the latter the mandrel B may be drawn firmly into the cylinder and set in any desired position.

The spiral spring C, which is formed at the end of T, is coiled about B, and the end is inserted in a hole in B. A yarn-loop of wire, D, is cast into the cylinder A.

It is evident that by turning B the tensionspring T may be relieved, so as to lie down upon the beak and exert no tension upon the yarn, or to spring back at a considerable angle. To allow this motion of T, two projections, A A', Fig. 3, are cast upon the end of the cylinder A, so that the milled head of B does not set closely upon the end of A, and thus a space of about one-sixteenth of an inch in width is left between the end of the cylinder and the head, in which the tension-spring T can move. The course of the yarn then, after it leaves the yarn-stand, is through the loop D and loop L, then through the loop t, and thence directly into the knittin g-machine.

The operation of the take-up will then be as follows By means of the screw S and milled head on B the tension-spring T is set so as to stand, when free from the yarn, at a greater or less angle to the line of the beak, according to the work which is to be done on the machine. If T be set as shown in Fig. 1, and the knittingmachine be then operated, it is evident that when there is no slack yarnyi. e., when the needles are taking up the yarn as fast as it is drawn off from the spool-T will be drawn down. toward the beak, as in Fig. 5, and thus remain so long as there is a steady draft on the yarn by the machine. It will also be seen that so long as the loop t is held down in the line of the loop L the yarn ea-nnot be caught in the angle l, and will therefore draw ott' easily; but as soon as there is any slack yarn the tension-spring T will rise and draw the yarn up into the angle Z, which will thus seize the yarn and prevent any more from being drawn oft' from the spool until T comes down again, so as to brin g the loop tin line with L, and thus extract the yarn from the angular space l, into which it is pinched and held. As the tension-spring rises it takes up the slack yarn and delivers it to the needles with the proper tension. Since one end ot' the yarn is held by the angle l, it is obvious that for every inch through which T rises two inches of slack yarn will be taken up.

The practical utility of the take-up herein described and shown has been proved by severe and long-continued use upon a large number of knitting-machines to which such devices have been applied, and I believe it to differ materially from any take-up heretofore applied to a like purpose.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the tension-spring T of a take-up, a iixed loop or guide, L, having an angle, I., formed therein, substantially -as described. 

